Libya to disarm Tripoli by year end

Local council urges brigades of revolutionary fighters from outside Tripoli to leave the capital by December 20.

Local authorities have set a deadline for armed residents of the capital Tripoli to lay down arms by the end of this month, and urged brigades of revolutionary fighters from outside Tripoli to leave the city by December 20.

Libya's government on Tuesday gave its firm support to a two-week deadline for militias to quit Tripoli, backing up a threat from the capital's council to lock down the city if they fail to do so.

“A public demonstration will be held tomorrow at 4:30 pm in Martyrs' Square in support of... initiatives to clear Tripoli of weapons and the unnecessary presence of militia," a statement from the office of Abdel Rahim al-Kib, the interim prime minister, said on Tuesday.

Live Box 201142012730683527

"It is anticipated that the demonstration will escalate each day until December 20. On that day, if the militias have not left the city, the public of Tripoli and the Libyan government will close the whole city to traffic."

His statement came after he met city council chief and other members of the National Transitional Council (NTC) on the security concerns posed by the presence of armed militias in Tripoli.

These militias are said to have led the uprising which toppled Mouammar Gaddafi and their members now man checkpoints across Tripoli and installations at Tripoli international airport.

Several militias present in the capital are from other regions of Libya and on Tuesday Abdul Razzak Abuhajar, president of the Tripoli council, urged them to leave the city.

"We are grateful for their help but now it is time for them to return to their families and friends to help rebuild their own cities and lives," the statement from Kib's office quoted Abuhajar as saying separately at a news conference.

Ministries' support

Kib welcomed the city council's initiatives to help clear Tripoli of weapons and militias and "confirmed that the interior and defence ministries will also provide full support to the Tripoli local council," the statement added.

On Tuesday, dozens of protesters blocked several main roads in Tripoli to demand fighters from other parts of Libya pull out of the city, which the fighters seized from Gaddafi’s forces in August.

Live Box 20115613924415945

Their action, which triggered huge traffic jams for most of the day, was also aimed at emptying several buildings used by fighters from outside the city as their headquarters.

On October 5, Libya's new leaders ordered all heavy weapons be removed from Tripoli, warning their prolonged presence risked giving a bad image to the revolution.

Facing international concerns, the NTC has insisted that despite the proliferation of arms on the street, the Gaddafi regime's looted weaponry has not left Libya.

Several skirmishes

The pressure to disarm former fighters in Tripoli rose after local media reported several skirmishes between various factions.

On Sunday, a former fighter was killed in Tripoli in a shootout with members of a brigade of Rojban fighters from the west who wanted the release of a comrade held in a security services building in central Al-Jumhuria Street.

Witnesses said dozens of armed men and civilians forced their way to Tripoli's main courthouse and the office of the attorney general, Abdelaziz al-Hasadi, calling for an ex-fighter allegedly involved in a murder to be freed.

The prosecutor fled before being caught by angry demonstrators who demanded that he sign a release order for the accused.

"This incident is very worrying. There is evidence of the deteriorating security situation in Tripoli," a local journalist said.Kib's office said the local military councils have begun to establish roadblocks and checkpoints in parts of Tripoli.

"Some streets face total closure. Others will prevent the movement of any armed vehicles except those of the ministry of the interior and ministry of defence," it said.

Libya's interim interior minister Fawzi Abdelali had said last week that 50,000 of former fighters will be integrated into security forces in the near term.

Content on this website is for general information purposes only. Your comments
are provided by your own free will and you take sole responsibility for any direct
or indirect liability. You hereby provide us with an irrevocable, unlimited, and
global license for no consideration to use, reuse, delete or publish comments, in
accordance with Community Rules & Guidelines and Terms and Conditions.